The winners and losers from National’s leadership spill
The winners and losers of today’s National Party leadership spill are …
Politics
Posts on government and governence at national and local level, political parties,politicians, and political participation
How many centrist votes go to Labour?
Judith Collins lost a vote of confidence. David Farrar seems to think that Act will get the inevitable flow. Sounds unlikely. The far right and nutbar fringe has already vacated to Act – who represent them so well. But Labour overwhelming won last election on a vote from previous National voters. History repeats in 2023?
National’s civil war reerrupts
National’s civil war which has been simmering for a while erupted last night after Judith Collins demoted Simon Bridges for making inappropriate comments to Jaqui Dean five years ago.
National – let the virus rip
There is no other explanation, and this week Paul Goldsmith gave the game away, National thinks that we should let the Corona virus rip.
Stop being a dick Barry
At yesterday’s post Cabinet Press Conference Barry Soper overtalked a number of reporters, demanded answers to his questions, and then stormed out of the press conference. And then immediately wrote a piece accusing Jacinda Ardern of overtalking reporters …
Mothers of the Revolution
Saw an inspiring premiere of this NZ -made movie about the amazing women of Greenham Common at the Wellington Film Festival today. Their years-long protest led to the INF treaty, a major advance in nuclear safety, now abandoned. Well worth seeing – a timely reminder in light of today’s news about NATO moving nuclear missiles around Eastern European nations on Russia’s borders.
Astroturfers of the world unite
Two days before what is claimed will be the mother of all protests links between the Groundswell organisation and the Taxpayers Union have been discovered.
Is This The New State We Want?
The New Zealand state is gaining power again, but is it what we want?
National is being utterly irresponsible
In the middle of a pandemic where the numbers in hospital are increasing and a number of Kiwis have died from a virus that is spreading promising the loosening of current restrictions is the most irresponsible, stupid, foolhardy, idiotic, imbecile thing I could ever expect a political party to do.
Down the rabbit hole
Former National MP and University Lecturer Simon Thornley are in the news after publishing a video interview questioning the effectiveness of the Covid vaccine and suggesting that the evidence that Ivermectin is useful in treating Covid is epidemiologically sound and strong.
The 2022 We Are Heading Towards
Most of us have been diminished by COVID in 2020-21 so it’s time for everyone to prepare 2022 as an honest accounting of damage to our whole society.
Covid and the latest polls
The results of two polls were leaked recently both showing a drop in support for Labour. Clearly the Delta outbreak has rattled confidence. But National has not surged up in support and the Greens have picked up some of the former Labour vote.
Shock horror, Ardern chooses to keeps her mask on
Barry Soper has accused the Prime Minister of, wait for this, not taking her mask off when she was inside visiting a vaccination centre in South Auckland.
What is gender?
“When people are arguing about gender, quite often one of them is talking about sex, one of them is talking about social stereotypes, and a third one is talking about gender identity, and they’re all shouting at each other”
The Freedumb Protesters give protesting a bad name
As a principle the right to protest is important. But the freedumb protesters making outlandish claims and at the same time plagarizing the language of progressive protest movements deserves to be called out.
Freedom Protesters are a pain in the ass
Human rights are a pain in the ass. Yesterday’s protesters were rude, unfit to invite home to dinner, shouty, and so incoherent that you could’t make any sensible point with them. They were and are a pain in the ass. But they are OUR pain in the ass.
New Zealand’s New Low Carbon Economy Stays Difficult
Southland Mayor Gary Tong has justified felling a forest to construct a coal mine by saying “[w]e all want to make a cleaner, greener planet, but we can’t do it in five minutes.”
Jacinda Ardern’s speech to the Labour Conference
The text of Jacinda Ardern’s speech delivered today to the Labour Conference.
The Labour Conference
Labour is this year holding its Conference on line. There will be some attention on a proposal to allow a supermajority of Caucus to avoid members and affiliates from having a say in a future Parliamentary leader.
Govt unprepared for transition when Queen dies
“We will soon be required to face the question, ‘After Elizabeth — what next?’,” Peter Hamilton wrote in his just published memoir, New Moons for Sam. He says it would be completely inappropriate for Elizabeth’s son Charles or his heir, William, to become Aotearoa’s next head of state. A head of state elected by 2/3rds of Parliament perhaps?
The Rules To Save The World
Beyond the NGO emotion and singing and joyous arm waving, country leaders at COP 26 actually have to achieve stuff this week.
Covid alters Auckland
With in-person shopping about to re-start in Auckland next week, this is the best moment we will have to reinvent Auckland: one customer at a time.
We are all in this together
Increasing levels of angst at the current lockdown can be related to privilege.
The Entrust election debacle
National aligned C&R has shown how bad it is at running elections by running an election where less than one in ten eligible people voted.
The Covid vaccine rollout
Matt Nippert’s in depth article in the Herald this morning provides a well researched deep insight into the Government’s vaccine roll out. And as it progresses the New Zealand response places us mid table and improving in the OECD vaccination comparison and gives us some hope that the Delta outbreak may be controlled.
Auckland Light rail options released
Construction of light rail in Auckland, proposed 50 years ago by former Mayor Dove Myer Robinson, is now a step close with the release of working group recommendations for options of a light rail line running between the city centre and the Airport.
Good Again
COVID has reminded us how good New Zealand is, and we should remember how we were reminded.
Why vaccine mandates are needed
The Government has announced vaccine mandates for some publicly facing businesses designed to help minimise the spread of a virus that has killed millions of people world wide.
In December 2022 We Will Be …
A year ago we were preparing for the America’s Cup and threading our way through the latest crisis quite well. What will we be planning next year?
Won’t someone think of the business owners?
This week Judith Collins was reported to be close to tears. But not about the possibility of a significant number of deaths but by the prospect of business closures.
Friday will change Us As Citizens
While we may have been lifted out of martial lockdowns and some rights have been reinstated in limited form, we have surrendered to another more pervasive power. The power of big data.
National’s plan – open and be damned
Yesterday National released what feels like take 16 of its Covid response plan, this one focussing on business interests and setting a hard timeline for reopening. But getting significant details wrong and rehashing failed policies previously tried in England has dampened its effect.
Covid and kindness
The vaccine is a bloody useful tool, not a panacea. This is a long crisis that requires us to pay heed the bigger picture.
Slater smears again
The Herald’s publication of an attack on Ardern by a wedding venue owner appears to have been sourced from Cameron Slater and brings into stark relief the Herald’s twin business model of funding serious journalism by both subscriptions and the use of click bait.
New misogyny same as the old misogyny
At the largest feminist conference in Europe, with a major focus on male violence against women, gender identity activists chose to protest with sexualised violent language and imagery.
Jacinda Ardern: Tear Down This Wall
In the coming months Fortress New Zealand will be dismantled. What will take its place?